Corpus Christi on short list Steel Dynamics Sheet Mill

Published Monday, February 18, 2019

Subject – Corpus Christi on short list of preferred locations for new Steel Dynamics sheet mill

The Corpus Christi region has been announced on the shortlist of preferred locations for Steel Dynamics Inc.’s new $1.8 billion steel mill project. San Patricio County, Texas commissioners unanimously voted February 19 to approve the creation of a reinvestment zone comprised of nearly 2,500 acres located near the city of Sinton, approximately two miles east of the intersection of State Highway 89 and U.S. Highway 77.

Steel Dynamics announced on their most recent earnings call that the mill is meant to facilitate the company’s access to three key regional markets: northern and mid-central Mexico, the West Coast, as well as Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana; regions in which steel demand is expected to rise significantly in the near future.

A 2015 targeted industries study conducted by the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation (CCREDC) identified the steel industry, and in particular an electric arc furnace, as a natural fit for the region.

Corpus Christi’s excellent infrastructure and port access, as well as its low barriers to entry, low business risks and competitive operating costs are especially attractive to steel companies. Recent steel investments in the Corpus Christi region include:

Tex-Isle, a Texas-based producer of energy tubulars, opened a $35 million steel pipe facility in Corpus Christi in 2017

Corpus Christi also offers access to low cost fuel stock and a large qualified workforce, making the Coastal Bend area of Corpus Christi highly competitive for manufacturing projects of this magnitude. The region’s excellent transportation network, business friendly environment, stable political leadership, and consistent and predictable incentive approval process also contribute to why steel companies continuously choose Corpus Christi.

The region as a whole is experiencing a manufacturing renaissance, with over $50 billion in announced capital expenditure on industrial projects in the last decade.